Hawai’i clips Fresno State in first day of Rainbow Wahine Showdown

HONOLULU – Come back and close it out. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team snuck by Fresno State (5-2) on Friday afternoon, erasing a 13-point third quarter deficit to take down the Bulldogs for the first time in the last 14 meetings, 50-47. Freshman center Ritorya Tamilo filled up the box sheet once again, leading all scorers with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks to help spark the comeback for UH on the first day of the 2024 American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown.  

Lily Wahinekapu added 12 points and four steals for Hawai’i, producing six points in the final 10 minutes of action to help push the Rainbow Wahine over the top. After seeing the team struggle from the field over the first three quarters (13-of-52 FG), UH hit 6-of-8 shots in the final stanza while holding Fresno State to three total made field goals to earn the program’s first win over the Bulldogs since 2007. 

The defense was outstanding for Hawai’i (4-1), producing 10 steals and 10 blocked shots as a team while holding a Fresno State squad that had been hot under 60 points for the first time this season. The Rainbow Wahine also forced 14 turnovers by the Bulldogs, helping lead to 11 points. 

“I think all of us bigs (Brooklyn Rewers, Imani Perez, etc.) did a good job of just not fouling,” Tamilo said of the defensive effort protecting the paint. “Our length comes in handy, definitely.” 

Both teams started slowly from the field, seeing a backdoor cut and reverse layup finish by MeiLani McBee as the game’s only points through five minutes of action. After the first media timeout of the day, Fresno State rattled off five straight points to jump in front for the first time before Hawai’i guard Mia ‘Uhila drilled a triple to tie things at five with three and a half minutes to play in the opening quarter. 

Wahinekapu sent the Rainbow Wahine into the second frame with a two-point lead after finishing on back-to-back buckets, mercifully closing out a first quarter that saw the two sides combine to shoot 6-of-30 from the floor and nine turnovers. Tamilo’s first bucket of the game opened the second quarter, extending the Hawai’i lead to four before Fresno State knotted things at 11 with under seven minutes to play in the half.  

The teams traded buckets back and forth before Fresno State defrosted from deep to end the half, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to take an eight-point lead into the locker room, 28-20. Hawai’i shot just 26 percent as a team, getting beaten on the boards through 20 minutes by the Bulldogs on both the offensive and defensive glass. 

“Our energy was a little flat in the first half,” admitted UH head coach Laura Beeman after the game. “Not bad attitudes or bad energy, just flat energy [offensively].” 

Fresno State grew the separation a game-high 13 points with five consecutive points out of the break as Mia Jacobs drilled her second three of the game just over a minute into the third quarter. Tamilo got the scoring started again for Hawai’i on the next possession, sparking an 8-2 run over the next six minutes that pulled UH back within seven with 3:50 remaining in the quarter. 

Tamilo continued her takeover with three more buckets and a pair of blocks to help Hawai’i pull within one by the end of the third quarter, 37-36. Along with the 6-foot-5 freshman getting in rhythm, UH’s full court press gave issues to offense that was humming for Fresno State. 

“We couldn’t find things offensively, so we had to up our intensity on defense,” Wahinekapu said of the change to full-court pressure. “We were able to get some scoring off of our defense, so I thought that was really good.” 

Daejah Phillips continued the momentum into the final frame, delivering Hawai’i’s first lead since the first half with a mid-range jumper just a minute and a half into the fourth. Wahinekapu extended it to six-point Rainbow Wahine advantage with a finish in transition and a steal on the inbound, forcing a timeout from the Bulldogs with 3:35 to play. 

Tamilo added her final bucket of the day to maintain the six-point lead with 1:38 left as Phillips found the center with the shot clock winding down. Fresno State brought it back within one with 13 seconds to play as Mariah Elohim drilled a three and Jacobs hit a pair of free throws after an Imani Perez travel. 

Confusion between the officials and table regarding the foul count against the Bulldogs took off a made free throw by Wahinekapu and forced Hawai’i to inbound the ball to the lead guard one last time. The strange series of events did not impact the senior as she stepped to the line and calmly drilled both to put Hawai’i back up three, 50-47. 

The Rainbow Wahine held on with one final quality defensive stand, forcing Mia Jacobs’ desperation 3-point try to bounce off the iron as Hawai’i completed the 13-point comeback to tie the all-time series against Fresno State at 26 wins apiece. 

Jacobs finished with 14 points and a game-best 18 rebounds in the loss for Fresno State, who will face off against national No. 1 UCLA on Saturday afternoon. No other player finished with more than eight points for the Bulldogs as the team shot 28 percent throughout the contest. 

Daejah Phillips added eight points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Rainbow Wahine before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Hawai’i will turn around and take on UT-Martin on Saturday afternoon, looking to extend its home winning streak to 15 games ahead of a Sunday bout against the top team in the country.